L.A. Metro’s Expansion Grows Projects in “Transit Deserts”
Cities in eastern Los Angeles County are planning for large mixed-use projects in proximity to train stations that will be built along the routes for extensions of L.A. Metro’s passenger rail lines.
L.A. Metro is extending its E Line from Atlantic Boulevard in East Los Angeles through Montebello and Pico Rivera to Whittier, an expansion known as the Eastside Transit Corridor.
Last year, the transit agency approved final environmental impact reports for the Eastside extension and the Southeast Gateway Line, a 15-mile-long extension that will run through southeastern L.A. County to Artesia, creating nine new train stations along the way.
Construction on the first phase of the Eastside extension is expected to begin later this year. This portion will include three new stations, including a stop in the commercial district at Atlantic and Whittier boulevards and another at the Citadel Outlets center in Commerce.
The current Atlantic Boulevard station in East L.A. will move underground as part of the first phase, which is scheduled to be completed by 2029.
Hilda Solis, an L.A. County supervisor, who also is the Metro board director, said the expansions will bring “transportation equity” to underserved parts of the county.
“Certification of the environmental documents for the Eastside extension and Southeast Gateway Line represents a significant milestone in our mission to achieve transportation equity in Los Angeles County, particularly for these historically underserved public-transit deserts,” Solis said, in a statement.
The City of Pico Rivera has submitted an environmental impact report seeking state approval for a 305-acre mixed-use district surrounding the site of a future train station in the city’s downtown. The district has been divided into zones for residential, commercial, industrial and flexible-use spaces.
The Washington and Rosemead Boulevards Transit-Oriented Development project is part of the Pico Rivera 2035 initiative, which envisions up to 2,336 residential units and nearly 5.9M square feet of commercial space.
The new housing will include a mix of low, mid and high-rise multifamily buildings. The downtown hub, which spans an area currently occupied by large warehouses and shopping centers as well as surface parking, is bordered on the west by a tributary of the Rio Hondo River.
Last year, the Montebello City Council unanimously approved its 2040 Citywide General Plan and Downtown Montebello Specific Plan, two land-use plans that encourage transit-oriented development along the city’s key commercial corridors and higher-density housing in proximity to another future Metro station.
The Downtown plan aims to revitalize the historic Whittier Boulevard corridor with a wide array of shopping, dining and cultural activities, the Whittier Daily News reported.
L.A. Metro is aiming to make the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles a “transit-first” event, encouraging attendees to get to venues throughout Greater L.A. by taking public transportation. The agency has 18 projects designed to connect the city’s previously fragmented transit system.
The projects include an extension of the D Line from the Wilshire/Western stop out to Westwood, slated to open by 2027, and an L line extension to Montclair that will be delivered by early 2028.
Beginning next year, an automated people-mover (APM) at LAX will connect visitors landing at the airport to the recently completed Crenshaw/LAX light rail line, also known as the K Line, via an Airport Metro Connector Station that is set to open later this year.
L.A. Metro is projecting that the APM will carry up to 30M people to and from LAX in its first year of operation.
Source: GlobeSt/ALM